Saturday Westerly

[john m]

Awesome day and thanks for the pics Dave.

[Alton]

Nice 4.0 session off 101 steps near Crescent. Flat on the inside with some nice waves on the outside. Sorry I missed WR; would have checked it out if I knew more peeps were there. Will catch u next time Alton!

Brad - It's been so long I thought you quit windsurfing. Glad you scored a session at 101 steps. Brings back fond memories when you and Gary took me down for an amazing 5.2 windsurfing session.

[Alton]

Pretty amazing to score 3 consecutive weekend wave sessions.

Tell me about it, I had gallbladder surgery three weeks ago

Presumably, one to two more weekend(s) of wind before I am cleared to participate.

Hey Jeff / tweegster - I just realized that's 4 consecutive weekend wave sessions. Don't mean to rub it in ... but I will

[Alton]

Almost like the days of old - real wind at Acadia that blew the whole day!

Damn ... I long for the good old days when regular westerlies were plentiful ... "long and strong" as I used to say

[Brian C]

An experienced windsurfer had an incident at Locarno yesterday that is a good safety reminder for all of us:
He was out for the afternoon session (moderate wind) when he crashed and dislocated his shoulder. With a shoulder injury he was unable to sail or swim back to shore. In the cold spring water, he became hypothermic.
Thankfully, his wife was on the shore looking out for him. I’m not sure of the exact details, but when he couldn’t be found, the Coast Guard was called and they successfully located and rescued him. He was hospitalized for his hypothermia but is now home safely and recovering.
This was a very close call and a good reminder that we need to do our best to sail/kite safely (they did). Without a spotter (or sailing buddy) he wouldn’t have been rescued. As fellow sailors, we need to look out for each other even when we’re trying to focus on our own sailing.
Also, I recall the saying that we should always “dress for the swim” in cold water. Especially in the summer at Squamish, it’s tempting to dress for the sunny day and ignore the cold water. Yesterday was cool enough that I’m sure he had a warm suit on, but even so the timely rescue was critical.

Last point - don’t assume that light wind conditions are safe: last fall I had to call the Coast Guard to rescue a Locarno kiter who was calling for help after the wind died and he couldn’t swim ashore against the outgoing tide. By the time he was willing to ditch his gear he was too cold and exhausted to make any headway. The Coast Guard was on site within 10 minutes but I had to direct them to his location in the last light of the day.
Ps - if you dial 911 they will connect you with the Coast Guard.

Have a great time on the water, as safely as possible!!

[Alton]

... He was out for the afternoon session (moderate wind) when he crashed and dislocated his shoulder. With a shoulder injury he was unable to sail or swim back to shore. In the cold spring water, he became hypothermic. ...

Thanks for the update and a reminder of severity of the situation.

Glad Serge survived and is recovering.

[tweegster]

Hey Jeff / tweegster - I just realized that's 4 consecutive weekend wave sessions. Don't mean to rub it in ... but I will

Thanks Alton...

I got up with the sound of wind, checked out the beach around 7, waves were feathering as they passed under the pier so close to 40 I figure. This wind was interesting as it was more a NW with lots of west than the “normal” post storm SW.

On a strong NW the wind usually goes offshore and gusty in WR, but his had so much west it looked fantastic.

Decided to patch the bad foam on the board with gorilla glue, did that then headed home...

[8mdude]

Last point - don’t assume that light wind conditions are safe:

Tell me about it man. 9 out 10 I break my gears on light wind and a reminder to myself that shit happens when you least expect it.

[Michael]

Avoided being overpowered on 7m (exaggerated by the Jericho sensor) by heading to White Rock (as suggested by Michael - many thanks).

Glad you scored!

Pictures as requested - sorry you weren't out there too. Hope the hand heals quick.

Nice pics Dave looks like you guys scored a classic Acadia day! Sorry I missed it.

[Brad R]

Nice 4.0 session off 101 steps near Crescent. Flat on the inside with some nice waves on the outside. Sorry I missed WR; would have checked it out if I knew more peeps were there. Will catch u next time Alton!

Brad - It's been so long I thought you quit windsurfing. Glad you scored a session at 101 steps. Brings back fond memories when you and Gary took me down for an amazing 5.2 windsurfing session.

No way! I still love windsurfing. I still sail on a regular basis but have become rather lazy about venturing beyond the 101 steps in my hood. As it happens we were blessed enough to find a place close enough to walk only 5min to sail and this means I can sneak out for little sessions without absence being noticed by the fam. Omitting the commute and gear loading really reduces the time/gas factor and I have come to enjoy learning the local spot in such great detail; it offers very diverse conditions depending on wind and tide. I even catch the odd novelty surf session there. I had a great day on the 6'6" fish that nuker day that took out the pier last year. I go to the Oregon coast and Gorge for variety in the summer and that works for the family too.
I remember that session we all had, good times! Next time you are in WR on a westerly I'll pack up the van and get to east beach. Sounds like the waves were better there and always nice to sail with the crew.
See you next time!